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Maddie Henderson

Gardner

Couture Octopi

1 November 2019

Is America Handling the Opioid Crisis Correctly

When people first think about drug addiction they think about things like heroin or meth,

however one of the biggest dangers is in almost every house in America. One of the biggest

addiction problems in America is opioids. Some of the most common prescriptions of opioids are

OxyCodone, Hydrocodone, Codeine, Fentanyl and Morphine. Most of the time people are

prescribed these for pain, often times after surgeries or injuries. Yet is the U.S. handling this

epidemic in the correct way?

The purpose of prescription opioids are to be used to treat acute pain, this includes

recovering from an injury or after surgeries. It is also used to treat chronic pain such as nerve

damage, atheratis, and fibromyalgia. Many people in active-phase cancer treatment are

prescribed opioids. There is also a large amount of people using opioids in end of life care like

hospice to help ease the pain. Opioids are very effective however they can be extremely

addictive and highly accessible.

Opioids can frequently be additive and oftentimes people don't even realize they are

addicted until it is too late. Addition according the National Institution of Drug Abuse is, “a

chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite

harmful consequences”(NIDA). The way opioids work are they attach to specific proteins called

opioid receptors that are found in the spinal cord, gastrointestinal tract, and the brain. Opioids

relieve pain by triggering excess flow of neurotransmitters like dopamine. When people abuse
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opioids it can make them drowsy, it can cause constipation, and to many taken can cause

depressed breathing. Long term use can result in physical dependence, the body becomes so used

to the opioid and if it is stopped suddenly the user can go through severe withdrawals. The longer

the use the more tolerant the body becomes and can require a higher dose each time. As said in

the new york times upfront, “Nearly 2000 people are hospitalized each year due to opioid misuse

. . . As of 2015 more people had died of drug overdose than any years in the past and over ⅔ of

them were linked with opioids”( New York Times Upfront). This is give some statistics about

opioid usage, that some of the negative affects of opioids.

Another important aspect of opioids in the U.S. are the way the have affected every

aspect of life in the community and families. Opioids are often used by adults with families of

their own and more often than not the people that have overdosed are found by their children.

Causing a lot of emotional problems for their children later in life and can lead to many more

problems in their adult life. Opioids also can affect young children when they are growing up,

because if it is something that they see a lot when they are little they won't understand all of the

negative effects that come along with these drugs and what will stop them from using it. Many

people turn the other check to opioid addiction because they don't understand how dangerous

they can be and therefore can make these drugs even more dangerous through ignorance. How

the public reacts to the opioid crisis is another very important aspect of how the U.S. is handling

it figure 1 shows a way that the public often thinks about these topics. (fig. 1)
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(figure 1) Micheal Ramirez; “Breaking Bad.” political cartoon. National review. 29 August

2019; Web.

This a very expreme stereotype that many people have on opioids they believe that opioids are a

starter drug. This however is not always the case most people don't even become addicted in the

first place. Opioids can have so many helpful effects, even if someone does become addicted

they will still get the benefits that these drugs give them. For example if they are taking the

medication to recover from an injury the will recover from the injury even if they do become

addicted.

I feel as though opioid addiction is not properly treated in the United States. Many people

do not give these problems enough attention. It is a silent killer of sorts as it is something people

are not educated enough about. Most people do not truly know the dangers until it is way too late

and they are already addicted. In conclusion crack and is wack and I feel as though there are

better ways to handle drug addiction in the U.S.

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Some solutions for this topic are to give resources to the people that are already addicted

as well as for those who are not. They are currently developing new addition reversal tools like

naloxone and lowfexane. There are many more simple things the government can do like

creating a safe, accessible, and affordable methods to help those who are addicted like

rehabilitations and medical treatments. Another really good thing to do is to get more people

educated about the dangers of addition. Concluding that opioids should be used with caution as

they are highly additive and dangerous.

Work Cited
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Micheal Ramirez; “Breaking Bad.” political cartoon. National review. 29 August

2019; Web.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Opioids. Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids.

"Opioids and overdose epidemic." New York Times Upfront, 3 Apr. 2017, p. 20+. Gale OneFile:

News,

“Senate passes Opioid Crisis Response Act”. AHA News, 18 September 2018 News

American Hospital Association, AHA News.

"The death curve; Opioids." The Economist, 23 Feb. 2019, p. 21(US). Gale OneFile:

News.